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NQS Professional Development

 MONDAY TO FRIDAY
13 to 17 July 2020

Monday 13 July 2020

Why are you doing the checklist?

The practices identified in the checklist are what the assessor needs to see you do so they can check you’re ‘meeting the NQS.’ If you embed all the things in the checklist, then you are meeting the Element 4.2.1. If there’s something on the checklist that you’re not doing, then you need to either adjust your practice to do it, or ask for help and training to do what’s on the checklist ie work with your educational leader or room leader who should teach/coach you how to do it.
 The checklist keys to use.

 E = Embedded I do that ALL the time
 K = I know I need to do that, but I don’t do it all the time
 T = Please teach me how to do it or improve my understanding of why I need to do it.

Too many educators are completing the checklist as E for embedded, but not really checking to see if it is embedded. Before answering the question, think about ‘how’ you are doing it. For example, “Do you regularly have relaxed two way conversations with each child, including at mealtimes?” Before answering think about it “Oh yes, we have one educator who is helping the children serve and I’m sitting at the table talking to children about their day, what we’re about to eat. So yes, I’m ‘E’.

Practices
Do you encourage other team members to share their ideas and knowledge, regardless of their experience, culture, background etc?
Do you share your knowledge and skills with team members, including those based on current recognised approaches and research and information gained from professional development?
Are you always professional and respectful when sharing information eg never engage in derogatory remarks about practice with team member or others?

 

Tuesday 14 July 2020

 

  Together as a team, use what you do (from your brainstorming session and the checklist) to write 6 short sentence that show “how” you are doing it. We’ve chosen 3 questions from the checklist for you. Why are you doing this? QIP’s need to have personalised stories about your practice so the assessor can ask you about why and how you do things. The sentences below can be used for Friday’s QIP writing section.
Write the question from checklist below  Describe ‘how’ you are putting this question into practice
Do you know the particular strengths of team members and use them when you can? We have a team member who was previously a cook at our local club. We encourage her to lead all our cooking activities, and she has some great ideas for getting the children involved. We got a new set of scales for example with much bigger numbers. We also found an old set with different sized weights the children love playing with even when they’re not cooking! Our families keenly await each new recipe the children try.
1. Do you know the particular strengths of team members and use them when you can?  
2. Are you open to receiving coaching/guidance about better ways of doing things or recognised best practice no matter how long you have been working in a Service or sector?  
3. Do you share your knowledge and skills with team members, including those based on current recognised approaches and research and information gained from professional development?  
What Regulation goes with this NQS Element? 

There are no specific Regulations for Element 4.2.1 Professional Collaboration.

We ‘ve listed some sources which may provide opportunities for you to share knowledge an understanding with team members:

  • Staying Healthy
  • Kidsafe
  • Rednose
  • Government Guidelines/Departments including those relating to healthy eating and physical activity, immunisation and employment relations eg Australia’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, Australian Dietary Guidelines
  • Inclusion Support Providers
  • EYLF/MTOP Guides
  • Theorists eg Vygotsky, Bronfenbrenner, Nicholson, Brunner, Gardner, Bloom, Skinner
  • Academic journals/articles
  • Conferences/seminars/webinars
  • Training courses
Give a recent example of how you shared your knowledge with a team member, or learnt something new when they shared knowledge with you.

 

As a team now reflect critically on a situation in your room that comes under Element 4.2.1and write a contribution for the Improvement plan section of your QIP. Why are you doing this? It’s not just because critical reflection is an Exceeding theme. Critical reflection shows you how to solve problems and improve practice. All educators must contribute to the QIP. It’s part of your job. Use this template to help do this and show the assessor how critical reflection has created changes in your practice.

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Step 1 Critical Reflection

 

The EYLF and MTOP say “Critical reflection involves closely examining all aspects of events and experiences from different perspectives.”

There is no checklist for critical reflection.

Please watch the video for more information

 
 
 
Example Situation

Why help a relief educator feel like
they belong?

They won’t be here long enough for that.

Child/ren

Who’s this new adult in the room. I don‘t know them and they don’t seem to be doing things the way I like or am used to. I don’t feel very comfortable.

 
 
 

Educators and Nominated Supervisor

As if I’m not busy enough already! How am I going to find time to help a relief educator as well as helping children?

 
 
 

Families and community

I’m normally confident that all staff follow consistent policies and procedures, and are experts in their field. I’m not so sure with the relief staffer. I hope my child’s safe with them.

Theorist and current research

 

A meeting indicator for element 4.2.1 includes “educators, co-ordinators and staff members use strategies that assist casual and relief educators to feel a sense of belonging to the team and service.”  It’s also noted that professional collaboration provides opportunities “to develop a shared understanding of how children learn and their role in supporting this, contributing to more effective and responsive programs for children.”

Step 2 Change Practice

Now you have reflected through the eyes of others, you are ready to make well informed decisions and plans to implement a change in your practice. List the changes below.

 

During a team meeting the Educational Leader stressed the need to assist relief staff and share knowledge and service practices with them. Staff began to grumble about the time this would take but the EL reminded them of a recent incident where a relief educator took photos of a child and posted them on the closed Facebook group where the parents had not authorised this. The parents of course were not happy and the Room Leader and Nominated Supervisor had to spend a lot of time apologising to the parents and assuring them this would not happen again. It would not have taken much effort by the other educators in the room to notice what the relief educator was doing and explain this child needed to be removed from the group for the photo. Allowing this to happen also made all staff in the room ‘look bad.’ Educators are beginning to understand assisting relief staff is not just their job, it improves outcomes for children, families and makes their life easier in the long run.

 

As a team now reflect critically on a situation in your room that comes under Element 4.2.1 and write a contribution for the Improvement Plan section of your QIP. Why are you doing this? It’s not just because critical reflection is an Exceeding theme. Critical reflection shows you how to solve problems and improve practice. All educators must contribute to the QIP. It’s part of your job. Use this template to help do this and show the assessor how critical reflection has created changes in your practice                                                                              

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Step 1 Critical Reflection

 

The EYLF and MTOP says “Critical reflection involves closely examining all aspects of events and experiences
from different perspectives”.

Critical reflection has no criteria like the checklist.

Select one or more from below or from the checklist to critically reflect upon:

    • Would team members agree you’re always professional and respectful when sharing your knowledge or skills?
    • Would team members agree you’re open to learning better ways of doing things?
    • Would team members agree you promptly and willingly help team members who need some extra assistance?

Child/ren

Educators and Nominated Supervisor

Families and community

Theorist and current research
Step 2 Change Practice
Now you have reflected through the eyes of others, you are ready to make well informed decisions and plans to implement a change in your practice. List the changes below.

Evaluate the change in practice due to your reflection

Thursday 16 July 2020
Write your QIP using what you’ve completed over the week. Why are you doing this?
You have discovered where your practice is compared to the NQS Guide (comparing what you currently do and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s checklist). This is the process of self-assessment. If you have discovered practices, processes, checklist areas you need to improve upon, write them below. Use this to improve practice and select contributions to the QIP Improvement Plan.
 Example: On Tuesday checklist we discovered a ‘T’, we need help with, “You can explain some of the theories that influence your teaching practices and how these contribute to continuous improvement.” We realise we need to actively research or obtain information about current theories so we can answer this question. The Educational leader and Matt the Nominated Supervisor are organising some ‘fact sheets’ on different theorists and we’re going to pin them on the staff room wall and discuss different theorists each week during room/group meetings.
 
 

The next step if you’re meeting the indicators is to self-assess against the Exceeding Indicators. We will look at these more closely in two weeks. On the next page we look at how to write the Strength part of your QIP based on meeting or exceeding Element indicators. Use the below points to guide your writing.
Inclusions  Yes N/A
1. Write the room location into the strength. This will ensure the assessor knows where to look for your strengths.    
2. Write the educator’s name into the strength. This will ensure the assessor knows who to ask about your strengths.    
3. Include the child/children’s names in your strength. This will give educators confidence to talk about a subject they know about (the child/ren).    
4. Evidence eg learning story, photo that’s easy to access.    
5. Write how you are achieving the exceeding themes.    
Embedded Practice    
Critical Reflection    
Engagement with families/community    
6. Tell the assessor exactly where to find the location of other evidence they need to see to show how you’re exceeding.
7. Show the assessor the location and time of other practice they need to observe to show how you’re exceeding.

 

Policy Review

     MONDAY TO FRIDAY
13 to 17 July 2020
Code of Conduct (Educator and Management Policy)Ethical conduct principles:

  • Commitment to our philosophy and values
  • Effective, open and respectful two-way communication
  • Honesty and integrity
  • Consistency and reliability
  • Safe and healthy workplace for employees, volunteers, children and families
  • Equal Opportunity workplace and culture

Managers, employees and volunteers will:

  • carry work out efficiently, economically and effectively
  • act honestly and with diligence
  • make decisions or take actions fairly, ethically, consistently
  • comply with our Privacy and Confidentiality Policy
  • report (suspected) breaches of the Code
  • include children and families in the decision making process
  • implement age appropriate, culturally sensitive and inclusive activities/experiences
  • comply with all service policies and procedures

Managers, employees and volunteers will not:

  • engage in unethical or unprofessional conduct
  • bully, harass, discriminate against, victimise, humiliate, intimidate or threatens others
  • use abusive, derogatory or offensive language
  • seek or accept a bribe or accept gifts/cash above a specified value
  • use any service property without authorisation
  • approach other employees or visitors on matters that don’t concern them
  • drink alcohol or use illicit substances on Service premises or work under their influence
  • smoke on the premises including in the car park
  • favour any child or develop close personal relationships with children outside work

Families, visitors and children will:

  • respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person at Service
  • respect the decisions of educators and staff
  • co-operate and follow classroom rules
  • listen to educators’ instructions and follow them
  • raise any concerns with an educator or the Nominated Supervisor

Families and visitors will not:

  • drink alcohol or use illicit substances on Service premises or enter the premises under their influence
  • smoke on the service premises including in the car park
  • have physical contact with children that are not their own unless a staff member is present
  • bully, harass or discriminate against any child or adult at the Service.

Do you have any feedback or comments about this policy? Please include below.

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